Health Care Affordability in
Santa Cruz County
Craig Johnson – Jerry Peters – Houcine A. Ahmed –Philotheos Allison
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Health Care in America & Santa Cruz

16% of Americans do not have health insurance ◊

12% of Santa Cruz Residents do not have health insurance *

34% of people we surveyed do not have health insurance
◊ = U.S. 2007 Census Bureau
* = from Dominican Hospital fall 2008 community assessment report
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
PROJECT OUTLINE
Goal Objectives
 Research Questions
 Data Collection
 Needs Analysis
 Solution Analysis
 Solutions/Recommendations

Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Goal Objectives

Collect information about the Health Care situation in Santa Cruz Area

Report on people’s needs and concerns regarding health care affordability

Diagnose health care problems and create a proposal of possible solutions
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Research Questions
1.
What percentage of residents have health insurance ?
2.
Who are their health care providers and what is the cost ?
3.
What are the obstacles to acquiring health insurance ?
4.
Should the government provide and control health care ?
5.
What is the impact of health care affordability on our community ?
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
We surveyed 125 people in Santa Cruz County
Male 69%
English Surveys 99
Female 31%
Spanish Surveys 26
Age Ranges
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Ethnicities
Ethnicity Percentage
46
White Hispanic
Under 15
African American
1%
2%7%
Asian
15 to 20
20
15
17
21 to 25
18%
26 to 30
31+
0
%
Data Collection
72%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Other
What is your primary language ?
English
89%
Spanish
6%
Other
1%
Other primary languages were:
Arabic
Bengali
Russian
Spanish/ English (Spanglish)
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Are you married ?
Yes
30%
No
70%
Do you have any children ?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Are you currently attending school ?
Yes 31% No 69%
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Are you employed ?
Yes 66%
 No 34%


If yes, how many hours per week ?
40+ hours 30%
20-40 hours 42%
Under 20 hours 28%
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Are you a U.S. Citizen ?
Yes
No
87%
13%
Did you vote in the last election?
Yes
No
Data Collection
51%
49%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
The experiences of health care affordability in
Santa Cruz County
Do you have health care insurance ?
Yes 66%
Data Collection
No 34%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
People without health care insurance
Why don’t you have health insurance ?
Cost
Availability
Don’t know
Unspecified
Data Collection
62 %
19 %
14 %
5%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
People with health care insurance
Who provides your health insurance ?
•
•
•
•
•
Work
Government
Private
School
Unspecified
Data Collection
44 %
27 %
20 %
1%
8%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What type of insurance plan do you have?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
How much is your monthly premium ?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What is the best aspect of your health
care insurance ?
The respondents identified 3 aspects of their
health insurance they felt were the best :

Good coverage

Good choice of services/doctors or hospitals

Low cost of coverage and low co-pays
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
If you could change one thing about your health
insurance, what would it be ?









More services and medications covered
Cost
Wider choice of doctors and hospitals
Nothing
Full coverage
Alternative therapies
Better customer service
Less paper work
Get insurance through employer
Data Collection
39%
33%
15%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
How satisfied are you with your health insurance ?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
How secure are you with your health insurance ?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
All people with or without insurance
With
Without
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
How much do you spend monthly for
prescription medications ?
Average dollar amount spent on prescription medications monthly 0 to 50
50 to 100
100 to 200
200 to 400
10%
18%
54%
18%
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Can you afford all the prescription medication
you need to take ?
Yes
No
Don’t know
56%
17%
27%
Do you think the cost of prescription
medication is too high ?
Agree
Disagree
Data Collection
92%
8%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Should the government regulate... ?
A) Medication prices ?
Yes
No
82%
18%
B) Doctors / medical services fees ?
Yes
No
Data Collection
42%
58%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Do you think everyone in America should have
equal access to quality health care ?
Yes – 94%
No – 6%
Should the government provide and control a
National health plan ?
Yes – 84%
Data Collection
No – 16%
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Do you want a National Health Plan for..?

All legally documented persons living in U.S.A. ?
 78% agreed

All persons in U.S.A. documented or not ?
 56% agreed

22% disagreed
44% disagreed
All persons in U.S.A. regardless of ability to pay
?
 80% agreed
Data Collection
20% disagreed
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What is a realistic amount for each person to
pay monthly for National health insurance ?
Data Collection
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What do you think are the biggest obstacles to
improve health care affordability ?


•
•
•
•
•
•
Affordability
Bureaucracy
The economy / money
Prescription prices
Unhealthy lifestyles
Inflation / Government
Benefits to undeserved
Politicians / system
Data Collection
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Corporate greed
Doctor’s /Nurse’s salaries
Education
Limited Coverage
People’s expression not heard
Insurance companies
Taxes
Eligibility not clear
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What are the most important steps to improve the
overall health care situation in this country ?
•
Housing the homeless
• National Health Plan
•
Only accept legal citizens
• New President/Congress
•
More affordable
• Admit there is a problem
•
Limit insurance claims
• Accessible to everyone
•
•
War vs. Health care
Lower Taxes
Data Collection
• Remove corporate welfare
• Passing bills for affordable for
health care for the middle class
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Who is in need ?

People without available access to health insurance

Individuals who can’t afford insurance

People with jobs that don’t have health care benefits

Excessive cost of coverage for the insured

People who can’t afford necessary medications
Needs Analysis
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
What are the needs ?

Greater availability & lower cost insurance for the uninsured

Lower cost options for health care and medicine

Equal access to health care for all people

Government or employer-mandated health care coverage

More primary care physicians in Santa Cruz County *
* from Dominican Hospital fall 2008 community assessment report
Needs Analysis
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Why do these needs occur ?

Health services and medicines costs are too high

Privatized health care is unequal and costly

There is no National health care plan

Corporate greed

High cost of living in Santa Cruz County
Needs Analysis
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Solutions Analysis

Government needs to address health care issue

An affordable way of providing health care to all people

Tax break for people to use for health insurance

Lower cost & affordable prescription medication

Higher reimbursements for county doctors

More local social activism for health care issues
Solutions Analysis
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Solutions Recommendations

Passing laws that promote better health care

Create a National health care plan

Government regulation and limitation of pharmaceutical medication prices

Build more hospitals and health clinics

Institute employer-mandated health care

Create college club to promote local health care change
Solutions Recommendations
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Final Recommendation

Create the “Cabrillo Health Care Reform Club” to :
◦ Brainstorm new ideas for local health care reform and advancement
◦ Increase local community awareness through organized social activism
Final Recommendation
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Brainstorm new ideas for local health care
reform and advancement
Cabrillo Health Care Reform Club

Club Activities to include :
◦ Creating a club interactive website
◦ Publishing a club newsletter
◦ Solicit sponsorship from local benefactors
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Increase local community awareness through
organized social activism
Cabrillo Health Care Reform Club
◦ Send club representatives to city council meetings for research and
expression
◦ Invite regional medical professionals, health scholars, and hospitals
involvement and cooperation
◦ Hold community health care forums
◦ Lobby local lawmakers and politicians to enact new laws which
ensure affordable and accessible health care for everyone
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College
Health Care Affordability Team
Houcine A. Ahmed
Philotheos Allison
Jerry Peters
Craig Johnson
Wardrobe provided by
Ken Hatfield
Fall '08 - Digital Bridge Academy Cabrillo College